Of monuments, birthright citizenship, Guardsmen, Mayas and hope

Before a new batch of postings about comprehensive immigration reform, culture wars and drug cartels, here’s a string of stories that will get you caught up on Latino news, starting with the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s independence this year….

In Mexico City, a towering monument scheduled to be ready for next month’s big celebrations won’t be. The 341-foot “Estela de Luz,” or Trail of Light structure, at the entrance to Chapultepec Park has encountered permit problems. The cost of the tower has been problematic, too, rising from 393 million pesos, to 690 million pesos, or about $50 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The city’s lavish celebrations are still a go, however. As part of it, the Paseo de la Reforma will become a parade route with stages and massive screens all the way to the Zocalo.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will put 224 National Guard troops on the California-Mexico border by Sept. 1. “We must find a permanent solution to our broken immigration system,” he said. “We need the federal government to step up with even more manpower and funding, and I will continue to push President Obama and Congress for action.” Read more here.

While most politicians and elected officials spent the early part of the year encouraging U.S. residents to answer the 2010 census, the Republican National Committee wants the Census Bureau to back off. At issue is not the decennial census, required by the Constitution. Instead the RNC has a problem with the American Community Survey, which collects far more information, including data on income, education, mortgage debt, marital status, race and religion. The bureau told The New York Times the survey is regarded as “the nation’s ‘official statistical portrait,’ used by governments to allocate resources, by businesses to make labor force and investment decisions, and in the distribution of federal money.” Why would anyone want less information?

Staten Island has become the newest hot spot of anti-Latino hate and violence. Over the last five months, 11 Latinos have been attacked. African Americans have been arrested in connection with some of these hate crimes. The incidents have included anti-Latino hate speech. While some have linked the attacks to the “economy, unemployment and the debate over Arizona’s immigration law,” one victim said, “They hate us because we’re Mexicans. They aren’t robbing just anybody.” Read the story here.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has called for a debate on drug legalization as a means to end the drug war. “Though several former Latin American leaders have spoken out in favour of legalisation, and many politicians privately support it, Mr Calderon became the first incumbent president to call for open discussion of the merits of legalising a trade he has opposed with such determination,” The Economist reported. “It was hardly a call to start snorting,” the magazine noted. But what Calderón once called an “absurd” idea “appears to be gaining currency in Mexico.”

The Mexican government said “28,228 people had been killed since the government began its crackdown on drug cartels at the end of 2006. Of those, 2,076 were local, state or federal police officers, according to the Public Security Ministry.” Read more here.

The Los Angeles Times editorialized on birthright citizenship calling those in favor of repealing the 14th Amendment as holding “a fringe view.” The piece criticized new supporters such as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham as conservatives taking advantage of a political “freebie.” “Graham knows that birthright citizenship is not about to be repealed. That would require an amendment to the Constitution. Two-thirds of both the House and the Senate would have to approve it, as would three-quarters of the states…. Conservatives can tout it without fear of it coming to pass, thereby proving their toughness without having to take responsibility for the consequences.”

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual and Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan met at the 7th Annual Border Security Conference recently at which Sarukhan said, “The presidents of both countries understand that we are joined at the hip for good. Co-responsibility is the only way we can succeed.” Read more here.

Groups of indigenous Mayas are protesting a monument in Merida to its colonial founder, Francisco de Montejo, viewed as “a violent conquistador.” The monument also depicts Montejo’s son. Outgoing Mayor Cesar Bojorquez Zapata of the conservative National Action Party inaugurated the monument on the last day of his term. New Mayor Angelica Araujo of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, however, is “more sympathetic to the indigenous groups’ concerns.” A new council will decide the issue. Read more here.

Monterrey, so ravaged by flooding this summer, was hit by drug violence last week when armed cartel members dragged drivers out of their cars and used their vehicles to block off at least 13 major roads in the southern part of the city. “The blockade happened after a shootout between the Mexican Army and alleged members of a drug cartel, in which four people were killed,” the BBC story says. “Police say the cartels blockade the streets as a show of force.” The violence was linked to the cartel group Los Zetas.”

As difficult as life can be for undocumented immigrants in the United States, they’re still a lot more optimistic about their futures than native-born Latinos. In part, the differences in attitudes are linked to the conditions immigrants left in their home countries and the social and economic conditions that persist for U.S. Latinos from one generation to the next, the poll found. The Associated Press-Univision poll of more than 1,500 Latinos was also sponsored by The Nielson Co. and Stanford University. Seventy-seven percent of foreign-born Hispanic parents believe it will be easier for their children to find a good job, compared with 31 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics. Read more here.